Category-based selection (Express Entry)

Express Entry and category eligibility source

To be eligible for a category-based invitation, you must meet the minimum Express Entry criteria, including eligibility for 1 of its 3 immigration programs, and all requirements in the instructions for that round. Category requirements apply in addition to the basic Express Entry criteria.

How a category-based round works source

After you create a profile and enter the pool, you receive a CRS score. IRCC identifies candidates who meet a category’s requirements, ranks them by CRS score and invites the highest-ranking candidates. Category-based selection changes the eligible group; rankings still use CRS. These rounds supplement other invitation types and may not be needed if enough eligible, high-ranking candidates are already invited through general or program-specific rounds.

Work experience requirements shared by eight categories source

Apart from the French-language and skilled military categories, the other eight all use the same work-experience rule: within the past 3 years, at least 12 months of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time experience) in a single occupation listed in that category’s table; the experience does not need to be continuous; and it counts no matter your primary occupation. The one difference is where the work was done — for healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, education and transport, the page says “in Canada or abroad”; for physicians, senior managers and researchers it says “in Canada”.

Category 1: French-language proficiency source

You must have French test results showing a minimum score of 7 in all four language abilities on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens, and meet all the requirements in that round’s instructions. It is the lowest of the four abilities that counts, not an average. This category does not look at occupation and has no work-experience list — it is the only one of the ten that turns purely on language. In this site’s data it is the category-based selection that issues by far the most invitations: several 2026 rounds of 5,000 each, with a cut-off of 382 on 2026-08-19. It does not hold the lowest cut-off — the physicians category does, see the caveats below — but it is the largest of the low-cut-off rounds, and so the one most readers will see and most likely misread as “I qualify”.

Category 2: Healthcare and social services occupations (37 NOCs, in Canada or abroad) source

The list (occupation / 2021 NOC / TEER): Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine 31100 (1); Specialists in surgery 31101 (1); General practitioners and family physicians 31102 (1); Veterinarians 31103 (1); Dentists 31110 (1); Optometrists 31111 (1); Audiologists and speech-language pathologists 31112 (1); Pharmacists 31120 (1); Dietitians and nutritionists 31121 (1); Psychologists 31200 (1); Chiropractors 31201 (1); Physiotherapists 31202 (1); Occupational therapists 31203 (1); Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating 31209 (1); Nursing coordinators and supervisors 31300 (1); Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses 31301 (1); Nurse practitioners 31302 (1); Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals 31303 (1); Licensed practical nurses 32101 (2); Paramedical occupations 32102 (2); Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists 32103 (2); Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians 32104 (2); Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment 32109 (2); Dental hygienists and dental therapists 32111 (2); Medical laboratory technologists 32120 (2); Medical radiation technologists 32121 (2); Medical sonographers 32122 (2); Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists 32123 (2); Pharmacy technicians 32124 (2); Other medical technologists and technicians 32129 (2); Massage therapists 32201 (2); Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations 33101 (3); Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates 33102 (3); Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants 33103 (3); Social workers 41300 (1); Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies 41301 (1); Social and community service workers 42201 (2).

Category 3: STEM occupations (11 NOCs, in Canada or abroad) source

The list (occupation / 2021 NOC / TEER): Architecture and science managers 20011 (0); Cybersecurity specialists 21220 (1); Civil Engineers 21300 (1); Mechanical Engineers 21301 (1); Electrical and electronics engineers 21310 (1); Industrial and manufacturing engineers 21321 (1); Geological Engineers 21331 (1); Civil engineering technologists and technicians 22300 (2); Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians 22301 (2); Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians 22310 (2); Insurance agents and brokers 63100 (3). This list is narrower than many people expect: software development and data science occupations are not on it, while insurance agents and brokers are.

Category 4: Trade occupations (25 NOCs, in Canada or abroad) source

The list (occupation / 2021 NOC / TEER): Construction estimators 22303 (2); Construction managers 70010 (0); Home building and renovation managers 70011 (0); Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors 72100 (2); Sheet metal workers 72102 (2); Welders and related machine operators 72106 (2); Electricians (except industrial and power system) 72200 (2); Industrial electricians 72201 (2); Plumbers 72300 (2); Gas fitters 72302 (2); Carpenters 72310 (2); Cabinetmakers 72311 (2); Bricklayers 72320 (2); Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics 72400 (2); Heavy-duty equipment mechanics 72401 (2); Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics 72402 (2); Electrical mechanics 72422 (2); Water well drillers 72501 (2); Other technical trades and related occupations 72999 (2); Concrete finishers 73100 (3); Roofers and shinglers 73110 (3); Painters and decorators (except interior decorators) 73112 (3); Floor covering installers 73113 (3); Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services 82021 (2); Butchers - retail and wholesale 63201 (3).

Category 5: Education occupations (5 NOCs, in Canada or abroad) source

The list (occupation / 2021 NOC / TEER): Secondary school teachers 41220 (1); Elementary school and kindergarten teachers 41221 (1); Early childhood educators and assistants 42202 (2); Instructors of persons with disabilities 42203 (2); Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants 43100 (3). Note that university professors and lecturers are not in this category — they appear under researchers with Canadian work experience, which counts only experience gained in Canada.

Category 6: Transport occupations (4 NOCs, in Canada or abroad) source

The list (occupation / 2021 NOC / TEER): Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors 72404 (2); Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors 72600 (2); Aircraft instrument, electrical and avionics mechanics, technicians and inspectors 22313 (2); Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics, and mechanical repairers 72410 (2). The category currently holds only these four, all of them aviation or vehicle maintenance occupations; truck drivers (NOC 73300) are not among them.

Category 7: Physicians with Canadian work experience (3 NOCs, in Canada only) source

The list (occupation / 2021 NOC / TEER): Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine 31100 (1); Specialists in surgery 31101 (1); General practitioners and family physicians 31102 (1). The experience requirement here reads “in Canada”. The same three occupations also appear in the healthcare and social services category, where experience gained abroad does count; under this category it does not.

Category 8: Senior managers with Canadian work experience (4 NOCs, in Canada only) source

The list (occupation / 2021 NOC / TEER): Senior managers - financial, communications and other business services 00012 (0); Senior managers - health, education, social and community services and membership organizations 00013 (0); Senior managers - trade, broadcasting and other services 00014 (0); Senior managers - construction, transportation, production and utilities 00015 (0). All four are TEER 0, and the experience must have been gained in Canada.

Category 9: Researchers with Canadian work experience (2 NOCs, in Canada only) source

The list (occupation / 2021 NOC / TEER): University professors and lecturers 41200 (1); Post-secondary teaching and research assistants 41201 (1). The experience must have been gained in Canada — teaching at a university outside Canada does not make you eligible for this category.

Category 10: Skilled military recruits (unlike the other nine) source

This category does not use the “12 months in the past 3 years” rule. It has its own set, and all four apply: first, you must be a Foreign Skilled Military Applicant — an eligible foreign national serving in a recognised foreign military with a minimum of ten years of continuous service, whose work experience and training align with the main duties of one or more of NOC 40042 (Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces), 42102 (Specialized members) or 43204 (Operations members); second, you must have an offer of arranged employment with the Canadian Armed Forces made by the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group, for continuous full-time work in Canada lasting at least 3 years, in one of those same three NOCs; third, you must have at least a 2-year post-secondary credential, with an educational credential assessment if you studied outside Canada; fourth, you must meet all requirements in the instructions for that round.

How categories are chosen and reported source

The official page says categories are chosen on the basis of labour market information and projections, and of input from partners including provinces and territories and stakeholders across the country. Categories are announced in advance. Each year IRCC reports to Parliament on the categories chosen the previous year, why and how they were chosen, the instructions establishing each category, and the number of invitations issued for each; it also includes category-based selection in the Express Entry Year-End Report and monitors and assesses categories regularly. In other words the categories change, and this page reflects only the list published on the day this site checked.

1. Before taking part in category-based selection, confirm that you qualify for one of the three programs — CEC, FSW or FST — then create a profile and enter the Express Entry pool.
2. Check your 2021 NOC code against the lists above. Confirm whether you have 12 months of experience in a listed occupation within the past 3 years, rather than relying on your current job title. The requirement applies regardless of your primary occupation.
3. For the French-language category, take TEF Canada or TCF Canada and reach NCLC 7 or above in reading, writing, listening and speaking. You must meet the threshold in every ability.
4. Wait in the pool, ranked by CRS score. Each category-based round’s instructions set out the eligible category and full requirements. Check your eligibility against those instructions before receiving an invitation.

• A low cut-off does not mean a low bar. Those rounds have low cut-offs because few people qualify: everyone not eligible for the category is excluded first, and the ranking runs only over those who remain. Reading 382 as “I qualify” is the single most likely misreading of this site’s data. The most extreme case in this site’s data is not the French round: on 2026-02-19 the physicians with Canadian work experience category drew at 169, issuing 391 invitations. A score of 169 would be meaningless in a general round; it stands only because very few people in the pool have worked as a physician in Canada. The skilled military round that same year issued 4 invitations in total. How low a cut-off goes measures how rare the eligible candidates are, not how easy the route is.
• Your primary occupation does not have to be listed if you have 12 months of experience in a single listed occupation within the past 3 years. A labour shortage alone does not qualify an unlisted occupation for the category.
• The 12 months of experience must be in a single listed occupation. Experience across two or three different occupations cannot be combined to meet that requirement.
• Location requirements can differ for the same occupation. The three physician NOCs (31100, 31101, 31102) appear in both healthcare and social services, which accepts experience gained in or outside Canada, and physicians with Canadian work experience, which accepts only experience gained in Canada. Check the requirements for the relevant category.
• This page explains category eligibility. The full requirements for a specific round are set out in its invitation instructions and may include additional conditions not listed here.
• A category may go an entire year without an invitation round. Category-based rounds supplement other round types and may not be needed if enough eligible, high-ranking candidates are invited through general or program-specific rounds. An absence of rounds in a given year does not by itself indicate a problem with the category.
• This site retains 3 historical agriculture and agri-food occupations rounds, most recently on 16 February 2024. That category was not among the ten categories on the official list when this page was checked. The official page does not give establishment or removal dates, so we cannot confirm when the category changed. Consult the latest official list for the categories currently in use.
• Category names and versions can change. For example, healthcare occupations was renamed healthcare and social services occupations. The v1 / v2 / v3 labels in our historical records distinguish versions observed in published rounds; they do not represent official effective dates. Check the official source linked on this page for current requirements, as conditions from older rounds may no longer apply.

The records below show related invitation rounds and cut-off scores. Eligibility requirements and cut-offs can vary by round; check the relevant category before comparing scores.